Austin ISD isn’t known for producing football teams that go deep into the state playoffs.
The teams that reach the playoffs out of District 26-5A usually exit in the bi-district round, thanks in large part to facing teams from Leander ISD or surrounding Austin suburbs in the first round of the state football playoffs.
That cycle was altered in 2014 when LBJ beat Cedar Park Vista Ridge in the bi-district round and then went on to reach the state quarterfinals. The Jaguars went 11-3 in 2014 under Head Coach Andrew Jackson.
LBJ beat Vista Ridge, Alamo Heights and Victoria West before Leander Vandegrift finally ended its season. Jackson and his squad have holes to fill in order to replicate last season’s success, but last year’s group shattered the glass ceiling that existed in AISD.
Senior defensive lineman Jonnie Williams leads the defense after recording 11 sacks as a junior. The offense lost playmakers, but running back Khalil Thomas and athlete De’andre Wytaske are in store for breakout seasons.
“I think we always face a perception problem in an inner-city district, but we have athletes. We do well in other sports, so football is the next hurdle. It takes good coaches and coaches that understand the type of kids at our schools to be successful,” one coach inside the district said. “Coach Jackson is one of those coaches, and we were all proud of LBJ last season.”
LBJ lost 12 starters from last year’s team. The Jaguars are the favorite to win District 26-5A, but teams like Bastrop and McCallum should make the district interesting.
However, if Jackson and his Jaguars want to make another splash in the playoffs, it will start with a bi-district game against a loaded 25-5A District that includes state contenders like Cedar Park and Vandegrift.
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